


Reflections of Soulmates

by Arthur Skye (Hazy_Skye)



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: M/M, Malcolm has some thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-15 00:39:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11219616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazy_Skye/pseuds/Arthur%20Skye
Summary: Malcolm doesn't have a soulmate, and he's grown to be completely fine with that fact. On Oliver's eighteenth birthday, Malcolm finds that he /does/ have a soulmate, and it happens to be his best friend's son.--This is my first work on here. I've only recently started watching Arrow and loved Malcolm and Oliver, so if they're out of character I apologize. It's mostly a collection of Malcolm's thoughts over the years before, during and at the end of S1. All characters belong to Arrow and not to me.





	Reflections of Soulmates

Malcolm Merlyn never believed he would have a soulmate. The first name of a soulmate showed up on a person’s left wrist once they turned eighteen and the last name when they were twenty-one, but both of those ages had long passed for him. He was married, of course, to another person without a soulmate. Malcolm loved Rebecca, more than he had loved anyone else in his life. They made sure to hide the fact that they weren’t soulmates by keeping their wrists covered at all times. Of course, there were slip ups here and there, but no one noticed. It wasn’t an abnormal thing to be born without a soulmate. There were those where the soulmates might be related, one person might already have a soulmate, multiple soulmates, one soulmate might be famous, or even live in another country and speak a different language. Everyone was looked down upon for their unfortunate situations, but it couldn't be helped. He was thankful that those without soulmates weren’t judged too badly as others were.

 

—

 

Years had passed, and Malcolm was growing older. He still had no soulmate name, and he desperately wanted his wife’s name to appear there just so he didn’t have to hide it anymore. Rebecca had just given birth to Tommy, and his best friend Robert’s wife, Moira, was due any day to give birth to their son. Malcolm hoped the two boys would be just as good of friends as he and Robert were. He wanted the best for both boys, hoped that maybe they would both find soulmates and be happy. Malcolm wasn’t unhappy, but it was clear to him that neither of them really wanted to stay in this relationship, anymore it was so hard to keep up a facade of happiness. They still loved each other, but it was more of a friendship than anything. Having a child was just a way to cover up how unhappy they were. Besides, they couldn’t leave each other once they had a child, right? Malcolm would fight to give Tommy the best future he could, and he believed that staying married to Rebecca would be the best course of action.

 

—

 

Malcolm hated himself. He was lost, lost without the person that he was starting to grow to love again, lost without his friend, and he felt so alone. Malcolm did what he did best in situations like this and hid. He didn't even bother taking Tommy with him. It was for the best, Malcolm wasn’t going to a good place. Robert and Quentin would take good care of his son, Tommy was always with Robert’s son Oliver and Quentin’s daughter Laurel anyway. He was just a kid, and yet Malcolm still never understood why he never liked to be at home. He tried not to raise his voice, thought his punishments were lax for a parent, but he still felt as though there was a distance between his son and himself. But Malcolm refused to let anything happen to Tommy, not after his mother was killed. Malcolm kissed his son good bye as he left to stay over at the Queen’s house for as long as it would take Malcolm to get over this loss.

 

—

 

Tommy never forgave Malcolm for leaving. It was a hard thing to go through, Malcolm spent years trying to get Tommy to forgive him, but nothing really worked. He was getting older, spending more time with Oliver and Laurel than he was with his father. Malcolm expected that from a teenager. Both of the kids had grown so much. By this time, they were both nearing seventeen. Oliver and Tommy could drive, while Laurel wasn’t allowed to yet. Malcolm could never understand why Quentin was making her wait. Maybe he didn’t want his youngest, Sara, to feel bad about not being old enough to get her drivers license. It didn’t seem to bother Laurel that the boys drover her around everywhere.

 

Both Tommy and Oliver were getting taller, more muscular. Malcolm wasn’t sure if it was strange that he noticed the fine layer of facial hair Oliver was developing and Tommy wasn’t. They constantly had other girls around, not just Laurel, and Malcolm could just tell this behavior would last as long as their good looks did. They both reminded him of himself and Robert when they were teenagers. Malcolm hadn’t always been the one for multiple sexual escapades, but he had his fair share of women and men he spent his nights with, most of whom had soulmates.

 

Soulmates.

 

Another year they would be getting a first name. Malcolm wasn’t afraid, he was confident that Tommy would be paired with someone great. He thought it would be funny if the fates put him and Oliver together after all of their escapades with girls so far. Only time would tell what the fates had in store for the three young teens.

 

—

 

“Who the hell has the name Malcolm in this day and age?”

 

“My dad, for starters,”

 

“Doesn’t count, Tommy. He was born a long time ago…”

 

Malcolm didn’t mean to over hear the conversation, it had been completely on accident. He had just wanted to see if they needed anything, it had been a total mistake.

 

It was the day after Oliver’s birthday. Malcolm had felt a stinging sensation on his wrist and knew what it meant, and he didn’t want to look. He fiddled with his watch as he left the hall and retreated into his office at home. He couldn’t think of a single time where he had had a single thought of being attracted to Oliver. It just… Never crossed his mind. He was a kid, his best friend’s kid, there was no way this could be possible. He also never thought that he would get a soulmate, yet here he was.

 

As soon as he closed the door behind him, Malcolm leaned against it and carefully took off his watch. There, in the low light of his office gleamed the name ‘Oliver Queen’. He wanted to get sick, he wanted to hit something, kill someone, /anything/. The boy’s name shouldn’t be here. It… It shouldn’t. Malcolm would be extra careful around Oliver to make sure he didn’t get any ideas. He could hide it for the next three years until his last name showed up on Oliver, but after that, he had no idea what would happen, if anything. There were very few people out there that decided not to be with their soulmate, believing that it was unfair that the fates picked them for you instead of just following your heart. Malcolm seriously hoped that Oliver would end up being one of those people.

 

—

 

Malcom knew as soon as Oliver was risen from the dead that he wasn’t the same man. Malcolm had seen to much, experienced too much to not recognize that this Oliver wasn’t the same one that had left on the Queen's Gambit five years ago. He was… Different. But very much the same. He was still a playboy, going off and getting himself into trouble, doing whatever he damn well pleased. It was infuriating and endearing at the same time, Malcolm welcomed Oliver home warmly, as any family friend /would/ but the look on Oliver’s face was… Knowing. Hesitant. Malcolm wasn’t sure what had set off Oliver’s fight or flight instincts, but he could tell it was there. He was assessing everything, checking his exits and everyone around him for weapons. Malcolm knew the feeling, not being able to trust anyone after being completely stripped of your normal self and built to be something knew. The difference was, Malcolm did it in two years, and Oliver had five. He didn’t know what was going on in his head, he could only assume. His family tried to act normal, but he could tell, oh he could tell Oliver just needed someone that understood. There was an argument, during dinner, Malcolm was only half listening to what it was, and in a fit of rage Oliver stood and left the dining room without eating a single thing on his plate.

 

“I have to apologize for my son’s behavior, Oliver has been having a rough time adjusting,” Moira explained. She reached for her glass of wine as she shared a worried look with Walter.

 

“Rough time is an understatement, mom, more like he hasn’t been adjusting at all,” Thea muttered under her breath as she stood and stormed out as well. Moira didn’t even move to attempt to stop her daughter, knowing full well she would do whatever she wanted to anyway. Malcolm couldn’t understand why Moira had given up parenting when it was reveled that Robert and Oliver were missing. It had caused Malcolm some internal conflict for a few months, but he had quickly gotten over it. It was for the greater good of Starling City and needed to be done.

 

He hardly noticed his own son up and leaving the table as well to go after Tommy to try and figure out why Oliver had been set off so easily. Malcolm sighed and played with the watch on his left wrist. It had become a tell of his when he was feeling in any way nervous about something. There was no need to feel nervous about Oliver’s behavior, Malcolm knew this because he had more than likely lived through everything Oliver had while he was on the island.

 

“Moira, the dinner was lovely. Thank you for inviting Tommy and I over, it was nice to see Oliver again while he was here,” Malcolm complimented as he stood up from the table. Moira and Walter stood as well, both of them wearing apologetic looks. Neither of them had anything to apologize for, really, Malcolm thought it was ridiculous that they thought it was his fault. Then again, if he were in the same situation, he would think Tommy's behavior was his fault.

 

“Thank you, Malcolm. I do have to apologize for Oliver - “ Moira started, but Malcolm held a hand up to silence her. Even after all these years, he still held this much power over her.

 

“Don’t. It’s understandable how he’s feeling. Oliver probably isn’t used to all of this quite yet. Give him some time, I’m sure he’ll come around.” Malcolm replied.

 

The three of them said their goodbyes before Malcolm decided to leave without Tommy. He and Oliver were sure to be talking about everything. Once inside of his car, he had time to reflect on the entire evening leading up to Oliver’s abrupt absence. It was tense, to say the least. Oliver was like a wound up toy ready to spring to life the moment he was touched. Considering that he had probably hadn’t had a loving touch over the last five years, Malcolm could understand his unease by being around so many people would cause him unrest. He wanted to get into Oliver’s brain, figure out what was going on in there and what had happened to him on the island. Malcolm tried to relax himself, convincing himself that he was thinking too much about this. Oliver was on a deserted island for five years, everything was bound to be a culture shock.

 

Malcolm found he couldn’t sleep. There was so much going on in his mind, too many thoughts playing through his mind all at once. He and Oliver never once talked about the fact that they were soulmates before he left, and the fact that Oliver was old enough to receive a last name before he disappeared was a bit concerning. Maybe it was because Oliver was always sleeping with women. Malcolm couldn’t remember seeing Oliver flirting with men, but then again, everyone had their secrets. His was more than just a soulmate. Malcolm wondered if Oliver ever thought about why. Malcolm had, many times. He had hoped that maybe he would never see a name appear, hoping that this system of the fates awarding someone a soulmate was broken. But of course it wasn’t.

 

He wandered around his house and tried to keep his thoughts away from Oliver. He thought about the Undertaking that would be happening within the next couple of months. If everything went to plan, no one would know he and Moira had anything to do with it. Oliver and Thea weren’t nosey kids, and Thea was too busy slowly killing herself with drugs and alcohol while Oliver… Coped. Malcolm returned to his room and attempted to get some sleep once again.

 

—

 

Months passed and rarely were he and Oliver alone together. Oliver never made a point to stop by when he knew Malcolm would be alone, and Malcolm did the same. Oliver was only ever over when Tommy would be there. Did the younger man think he was a threat? Of course, he was a threat, but not to Oliver and his family. At least not yet, anyway. Malcolm considered getting Oliver’s name burned off, many people did when their soulmate died. It was easier to cope with for some people. Malcolm never did. He was glad that at least in some way he was normal.

 

“Mister Merlyn!”

 

Malcolm turned to see Oliver making his way through the crowd toward him, looking as tempting and charming as ever. Queen parties were something Malcolm could never miss. When Robert was alive, both of them were the life of the party, and everyone came because of Robert Queen. Even after his death, people came in memory of the man he was, but of course Malcolm knew that many of these people weren’t actually friends. The last few months seemed to fly by in a flash, and no one could really believe that it was already Christmas.

 

“Oliver. What a pleasant surprise,” Malcolm replied as they shook hands. He couldn't help but feel like prey under the gaze of a predator with how Oliver was looking at him, and immediately his fight or flight instincts started to kick in. Throwing a punch at Oliver probably wasn’t the best idea, especially since he really posed no threat. Malcolm took a step back away from the younger man and shoved his hands into his trouser pockets “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

 

“We haven’t really talked since I’ve returned from the island, and I’m sure Tommy hasn’t shared much with you,” Oliver replied with a slight smirk. Malcolm nodded curtly. It was no secret that he and Tommy hardly got along now a days. It was his fault, he knew, he kept his distance and wasn’t there for his son when he needed his father the most, but Malcolm had tried his best to form a relationship with him again but it just seemed to be no use. Oliver beckoned Malcolm to follow him, and the older man followed behind Oliver out of the room.

 

“I had a lot of time to myself on that island. Sometimes. It gave me time to… Think,” Oliver said after a few moments. Malcolm wasn’t sure where they were going and he constantly had to remind himself that Oliver posed no threat. “I didn’t want it to be you. I was desperate for it to be Sara, by some chance the name would change. But it stayed, and never went away.”

 

“Oliver - “ Malcolm started but was cut off by Oliver raising his hand to cut him off. The older man crossed his arms over his chest as Oliver continued. He had been having a nice night. Oliver started walking toward him before he continued talking and Malcolm took a step back for every step forward Oliver took.

 

“Malcolm, you can’t begin to imagine what it was like on that island. I prefer to keep it that way. Tommy almost had me convinced to tell him everything, but there are some things that i just prefer to keep to myself for now,” Oliver finished, now having backed Malcolm up completely against the wall. Malcolm watched Oliver’s face as he felt a hand come to rest on his waist and lips crash against his own. The kiss was filled with teeth and tongue, and Malcolm couldn’t complain about it. He was at Oliver’s mercy, willing to let the younger do what he wanted with him. Malcolm couldn’t remember a time when he felt this good and dug his fingers into Oliver’s sides. Immediately he felt a hand at his throat choking him, cutting off his air supply. He had gone too far, but all Malcolm could comprehend to say was “Yes,”

 

The grip loosened around his throat enough so Malcolm could get a somewhat good oxygen flow. He caught Oliver staring at him with slight confusion before he retightened his grip around Malcolm’s neck and started to roughly kiss him again.

 

Malcolm didn’t know how the two of them managed to get to Oliver’s room in one piece. It was a blur as he was shoved back onto the bed and Oliver climbed on top of him. Malcolm watched Oliver admire the man under him for a few moments before he started to ravage him with bites and kisses. Clothes flew off in a flurry as Oliver became more desperate with his need. Malcolm didn’t make a move to try and touch Oliver, afraid if the next time if he did he’d be killed. He was so caught up in Oliver’s ministrations that he didn’t realize his wrists were bound together. Both men smirked at each other before Oliver trailed feather light kisses down Malcolm’s body, occasionally biting hard enough into the older man’s skin to draw blood.

 

—

 

Malcolm didn’t know how this had become his life. Keeping everything kept from Oliver was becoming increasingly difficult. They had managed to keep the fact that they were soulmates quiet, trying desperately to only see each other at night. Most times Oliver had a work thing come up which was becoming increasingly annoying to Malcolm. The life of Queen’s, he guessed. The two of them lied more to each other than told the truth. He knew Oliver hardly trusted him anymore, which was why they saw each other less and argued more when they did see each other. They couldn’t be honest with each other. Malcolm couldn’t tell Oliver about the Undertaking or that he was behind Walter’s kidnaping, but for some reason he believed Oliver already knew both of these things.

 

—

 

He could hardly say he was surprised finding out Oliver was The Hood. He was more disappointed than anything that they hadn’t told each other the whole truth. Maybe that would have been simpler. Malcolm laughed as he was driven to his knees in front of Oliver. Both of them were tired, beating each other and trying to kill each other was physically and emotionally taxing.

 

“Tell me how what I’m doing is any different than what you’ve done?” Malcolm laughed out as he struggled to his feet. “The Glades need to be destroyed, Oliver. You’ve been murdering people left and right to avenge your father!”

 

“Because I have no choice! You have the choice to stop this, Malcolm. Rebecca would never want you to kill thousands for her. She would want you to save them,” Oliver begged. Malcolm screamed as he jumped at the younger man, and they both fought again for the upper hand before the older man was able to place Oliver into a headlock. “Malcolm…”

 

“You can’t change my mind, Oliver. It’s over.”

 

Malcolm noticed Oliver reaching for a discarded arrow too late to save himself. He felt the arrow go straight through his chest and he slumped against Oliver and blacked out. Oliver bit back a scream as he managed to get the arrow out of himself. He stared at Malcolm’s body and turned to head back to where Dig was waiting for him. He didn’t have the time to mourn over his loss, Oliver had to save the people of the Glades.


End file.
